1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a computer display system, and more particularly, the invention is directed to a display system which provides the tools to manage the animation of graphics objects (sprites) on a display. An interface is provided which allows an operator to interactively define sequences of operations to be performed on sprites using a cursor placement device such as a mouse. These operations include moving the sprites on a specified path over the display, hiding the sprite, placing the sprite on the display, or redefining the sprite. Each operation is recorded for later playback. In this way a user can interactively create an imaginative, animated display, such as a man walking across the display.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Video games are an accepted form of entertainment for kids of all ages. The games consist of complex graphics objects moving across the display in real time. Some of the objects may be under the control of a user manipulated joystick, while others follow predefined paths and actions that are hardcoded into the supporting hardware and software. The software that supports the video games consists of explicit instructions that a programmer must code to enable the logic of the game. There is no provision to allow the user to change the game and enable new paths for the movement of the graphics objects.
In industrial automation environments, graphic tools were created to allow a user to depict events that transpired in plant environments on a graphics display. The interactive display of graphic information and depiction of animated sequences of events was in response to sensor points in the industrial environment. An example of such a system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,987, to Stephens, issued May 13, 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,348, to London et al., issued Sept. 11, 1984. These systems lack the capability of interactively defining a path for a graphics object to travel on a display and the actions that will be performed on the graphics objects as they move across the display.